The centre boosted the RSPCA’s capacity in Birmingham by 30 per cent – but it is expected to be full by the end of the year.

For the charity, the daily cost of keeping a rescued dog is £15, while a cat costs it £9.40 per day.

And both animals are taking nearly ten per cent longer to rehabilitate and rehome than they did a year ago.

In the first ten months of this year, Mr Scott’s West Midlands division reported more than 80 cases for prosecution – more than the total for the whole of last year, up from 71 in 2010 and up from 56 in 2009.

And the Dogs Trust said it, too, had been inundated.

The Trust’s West Midlands centre, near Kenilworth, has handled more than 20 calls a day from owners wanting to give up their dogs. The charity has also seen a 56 per cent increase in cases where dogs have been given up because of housing problems.

At Birmingham Reptiles and Pets in Erdington, owner Monica Williams said even exotic animals were not immune from being dumped.

“I’ve been seeing more people who are moving from houses into flats and can’t take their animals with them,” she said.

“The recession has affected reptiles, but I think people are far less likely to neglect an animal if they have made the effort of buying a proper reptile set-up to start with.

“People put more thought into it than they do when buying a cat or a dog.”

Animal welfare groups warned the cost of veterinary treatment had resulted in some owners failing to neuter their animals, causing a vicious circle of neglect and over-population.

In the West Midlands the RSPCA’s prosecutions rose nearly 25 per cent last year, with a 35 per cent increase in cases of cruelty to dogs.

Mr Scott urged people to pause before buying a new pet, saying: “People need to think long and hard before getting an animal.

“Think about how much it’s going to cost – not just in food but veterinary fees.

Redwings horse sanctuary, in Warwickshire

• The RSPCA has launched a campaign to highlight the growing number of abandoned and abused horses.

Redwings, the UK’s largest horse sanctuary, with a base in Warwickshire, found horse rescues by the RSPCA over the past 12 months had doubled while rescues by World Horse Welfare increased from 129 in 2006 to 194 in 2011.

The British Horseracing Authority also released a report saying the number of racehorses destroyed in the UK’s abattoirs had more than doubled over the last year.